Prunus amygdalus amara oil (inci)

Prunus amygdalus amara extract refers to the volatile oil obtained by cold pressing from the kernels (the actual almonds) of Prunus dulcis var. amara, the bitter almond.

Like the variation Prunus dulcis var. dulcis, the "bitter almond tree" belongs to the rose family and is today mainly cultivated in California and the Mediterranean region.

Ingredients of Semen amygdale amarae (bitter almonds): 30-50% fatty oil, 10% sucrose, glucose, up to 30% protein, choline, asparagine, 1.5-8% amygdalin, from which prussic acid can develop enzymatically or in an acidic environment (the consumption of larger quantities of bitter almonds can be fatal; for children this is 5-12 bitter almonds, for adults 50-80 bitter almonds.

1. Ammon HPT et al (2014) Hunnius Pharmaceutical Dictionary 11th Edition Walter de Gruyter Berlin-New York p. 1478